


Flying, Chasing, Seeking

by Cartecka



Series: USWNT at Hogwarts [2]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-29 00:36:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6351883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cartecka/pseuds/Cartecka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath at Hogwarts. Kelley keeps ditching them and they end up spending a lot of time together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If you read the previous story in the series, just small warning, the series isn't in chronological order.

"God, I hate her so much!" Kelley said, stabbing her chicken harshly with a fork. “I mean who does she think she is? Fucking Hope Solo. Big deal. She’s not that great.”

“Well, she did block that one shot you sent to the left hoop that would have gone past anyone else,” Alex said with a smirk, knowing that would only make Kelley angrier.

“It should have gone in!” Kelley said, waving her chicken around for emphasis. “She cheated or something.”

“I resent the implication that anyone in my house or on my team would cheat during Quidditch,” Alex said, a little more seriously. Slytherins always had the reputation of being cheaters and of doing anything possible to win but Alex had always resented that. People couldn't make sweeping statements like that about a House and Alex knew no one on the team would risk the repercussions of cheating when they were perfectly capable of winning on skill alone.

Kelley grumbled something under her breath that Alex was glad she didn't understand. She and Kelley were best friends always except for the days surrounding the infamous Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch matches. Those days, their friendship was strained a little, but luckily had never broken. Yet.

“Look, I’m just saying that Hope’s not that bad, okay? I know she seems intense of the pitch and whatever but she's not a bad person.”

"I just think that-" Whatever Kelley thought was lost as a hand clapped down on her shoulder, effectively pulling her attention away from Alex and whatever she’d been about to say.

“Yo! Dude, nice playing yesterday. Your first goal right at the beginning of the game was stellar. Hope didn’t know what hit her,” Tobin said sitting down next to Kelley and pulling some potatoes and beans onto her plate. “And that Porskoff Ploy you and HAO did was perfect. It was a good game.”

Kelley grinned, all of her frustration at Alex immediately forgotten.

“Thanks dude!”

Kelley and Tobin immediately launched into a long break down of the game. Alex knew that Tobin was one of the smarter players in the game and Kelley loved talking about matches with her. Alex sat back a bit and listened. Kelley may have been Alex’s best friend but Alex had quickly come to terms with the fact that she probably wasn’t Kelley’s best friend. She had a little comfort in the fact that Kelley probably didn’t have a best friend or if she did she had multiple but that was just how Kelley was. It was easy for her to get people to like her and she was very good at liking people, unlike Alex who was cautious about who she got close to and was a little too shy to be immediately charming like Kelley. So Alex got used to Tobin and a whole slew of other people also being Kelley’s best friend and just was happy that she was included in the ranks even if sometimes it meant that she was sidelined a little as she was now.

“Oh shit!” Kelley said, suddenly and very loudly, drawing Alex’s attention back to the other two girls at the table. “I have class in five minutes, I gotta go!”

Tobin laughed as Kelley struggled to get over the bench at the dining table, tripping over her robes and struggling to get her bag over her shoulder.

“Bye loser!” she shouted at Kelley’s quickly retreating figure, getting the finger in response.

Silence fell across the table. In the four years they’d attended Hogwarts together, Alex and Tobin had never really had a conversation, at least not without Kelley around.

“You, uh, you played really well this weekend too,” Tobin said quietly. “I should have said it earlier. You saw the snitch while it was still in the shadows. That was really impressive.”

Alex felt a blush rise to her cheeks.

“Yeah, I - thank you,” Alex replied.

“You know, we’ve had Charms together for the last three years and we’re both really good friends with Kelley… It seems strange that we haven’t hung out more.”

“I mean, I’m not sure we have that much in common other than Kelley,” Alex replied cautiously.

Tobin smiled back.

“You don’t know that. You don’t know me at all. For all you know, we're soul mates.”

Alex laughed.

“I'm serious,” Tobin continued, “Who knows? Maybe we're meant for each other. Maybe we'll fall madly in love like Kelley and Ann. You don't know. Anything could happen.”

Alex grimaced jokingly.

“Not sure I want to be like Kelley and Ann.”

Tobin looked at her quizzically.

“Really? I think they're cute.”

“Oh, they are. Its just… Kelley spends so much time with Ann you know, and literally everything else she does she's like, ‘I need to tell Ann about this, Ann would have so much fun doing this’ and I dunno. I just feel like I never want to be that dependent on one person. That sounds scary and like a lot of responsibility.”

Tobin nodded thoughtfully.

“I understand that. I mean, it might depend on the person though. It seems to be working for Kelley.”

“Yeah, well Kelley's better at people than I am. I am very bad at people.”

Tobin smiled gently.

“You seem to be doing well so far. Look, you even made a new friend.”

“Oh, we're friends now? After one conversation?”

“Oh, definitely. I can tell that this is the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship.”

Alex just shook her head and laughed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, sorry.

“Okay, lunch has been wonderful, but I promised Ann I'd meet her by the lake so I'll see you two goobers later,” Kelley said.

“Bye!” Alex and Tobin chorused. Smiles were plastered on their faces but as soon as Kelley was out of sight, Tobin deflated slightly and Alex sighed.

“I miss her,” Tobin said mournfully. Kelley had been spending more and more time with Ann recently. While Alex was happy for her friend, she also missed her quite a bit.

“Me too,” Alex said. “Ann’s cool and everything, but she’s taking up all of Kelley’s time. That's can't be healthy for a relationship.”

“She seems happy so I say let her be. I mean, maybe this is what's right for them.”

Alex looked at Tobin, unconvinced, and Tobin laughed.

“I know, I know you don't believe that.”

“We've had this conversation a million times. If I were in a relationship like that I'd go crazy.”

“Well regardless, there is a bright side to this whole situation.”

“What’s that?” Alex asked. She could think of no bright side to her best friend not hanging out with her anymore. She'd only seen Kelley for a collective forty five minutes in the last couple weeks and it was driving her crazy. For someone who had a very small friends circle as it was, she couldn't really afford to have one of them not be around.

“The bright side, is that we get to hang out more,” Tobin said with a cheeky smile.

Alex smiled warmly. She had to admit that the only upside of Kelley always ditching them was that, like today, Tobin and Alex found themselves hanging out together a lot. Not that they needed the excuse anymore. Alex often found herself searching out the Hufflepuff as often as she could when Kelley wasn't available. There was something about her cool demeanor never failed to calm all of Alex’s nerves. And she was funny, understatedly so, her humor wry and sarcastic but never offensive. Since they had met, Alex had never spent a dull moment with her.

“Eh, you’re not that great,” Alex joked.

“Well, in that case, I guess my time would best be spent elsewhere, with someone who appreciates it,” Tobin said, getting up from the bench.

“No, no, sorry, I didn’t mean it. You’re wonderful and amazing and I love you. Don’t go,” Alex laughed, pulling Tobin back down by the arm.

“Well, if you put it like that,” Tobin said with a twinkle in her eye. And Alex found herself swooning a little. It was a strange feeling that she'd somewhat gotten used to recently. There were times when Tobin would do something and Alex would just feel the slightest bit more light headed and her heart rate would speed up. She avoided thinking about it for as long as she could but as it happened more and more often, she found it harder to ignore.

“You still there Alex?” Tobin asked. And that was the worst part. Tobin was starting to notice that every so often, Alex’s mind would go on a trip.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked if you wanted to watch the Ravenclaw/Gryffindor game this weekend with me.”

“Just so long as you're aware that I won't be rooting for Gryffindor. I love Kelley all day everyday except when she's wearing those Crimson robes.”

Tobin grinned.

“I don't care who you're rooting for as long as you're there with me,” Tobin replied.

And Alex was swooning again.


	3. Chapter 3

It was impossible for Alex not to get invested in a Quidditch game. After all, she had given her whole heart to the sport from the moment she was seven and handed her mom a note that said ‘When I grow up I want to be a professional Quidditch player.’ Her emotions were running high when the Ravenclaw/Gryffindor game ended in a very narrow win for Ravenclaw courtesy of their seeker having momentous timing. There were few things Alex appreciated more than a good seeker and Ravenclaw's seeker had proven his worth in that moment.

Which was why it was totally understandable that when the Ravenclaw seeker had pumped his fist, the snitch still grasped in his hand, Alex had grabbed the person nearest her and kissed her square in the mouth. What was less understandable was why Tobin had kissed her back, rather enthusiastically. And what was even less understandable was why, hours after the game and the excitement had passed, Alex wanted to kiss her again. (Less understandable, Alex told herself, refusing to admit that this yearning in her chest was something she’d been feeling for weeks now, only now she had a name for it).

Tobin had acted as if the kiss as if it hadn’t even happened. When they’d parted, she’d just turned back to the game and cheered out her congratulations to the Ravenclaw team along with the rest of the Ravenclaw supporters. After the players had cleared off the pitch, she’d searched for Kelley and given her a full, comforting hug. The loss, while not a bad loss in terms of the Quidditch Cup, Gryffindor having only lost by twenty points, was a bad loss for their pride. Gryffindor had lead and outplayed Ravenclaw for the entire game. If the Ravenclaw Seeker had taken ten minutes longer to find the snitch, Gryffindor most likely would have won.

Alex set aside the feelings that had been bred into her during the rivalry and hugged Kelley tightly as well. Alex was about to offer to take Kelley out to Hogsmeade to have fun and get the game out of her system but right then Ann appeared out of nowhere, and Alex and Tobin retreated. From there, it was just the two of them. They’d first gone to the lake for a walk, but the cold had quickly forced the, back indoors to the Great Hall and where they sat by the fire and sipped on hot cocoa. During this whole time, Alex had been itching to talk to Tobin about the kiss or to just kiss her again, but Tobin seemed too calm and cavalier. Alex was afraid of ruining the fun that they were having so instead she kept her mouth shut as Tobin smeared some whipped cream across her cheek, gasping in amusement before returning the favor.

And now Tobin was laughing and leaning too close and Alex just wanted to kiss her but she didn’t know if that was okay. Because in that moment Alex also realized that with Kelley perpetually absent and Tobin always there, Tobin had somewhere along the line replaced Kelley as her best friend and Alex did not want to lose her.

“Hey,” Tobin said, softly placing her hand on Alex’s arm to draw her attention. “What are you thinking? You look like you’re trying to take a History of Magic exam.”

“Nothing… I just…”

Tobin raised her eyebrows.

“You’re my best friend. You know that right?” Alex said.

Tobin tilted her head to the side, looking infuriatingly like a lost puppy.

“What about Kelley?”

“She hasn’t been around and you’ve been there for me a lot recently and in ways that Kelley’s never been able to be because she doesn’t understand, which isn’t a bad thing, it’s just kind of true but you… Do you remember what you said that first day that we really hung out?”

“About us being soulmates?” Tobin joked.

“Well, yeah, about us being meant for each other. I think you were right in a way. We were meant to be friends.”

Tobin was looking at Alex with a curiously serious expression. One that Alex rarely saw on her carefree face. She was about to ask her what was wrong but then Tobin was leaning forward. Alex’s heart almost stopped when Tobin placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

“You’re definitely my best friend too,” she whispered seriously then turned her head slightly so that she could press a kiss into Alex’s lips. Alex had seen it coming but she still gasped a little when Tobin’s lips touched hers. Tobin pulled away quickly, worried that she’d done something wrong, but Alex quickly got over her surprise and brought her hand up to Tobin’s face and pulled her in again.

The kiss was soft and chaste and Alex savored it in a way she hadn’t savored the one earlier at the Quidditch game. She could feel the way Tobin’s lips were slightly chapped but still soft and she could feel the way Tobin smiled, just a little, when Alex tangled her fingers into the hair at the back of her neck. When they pulled away they were both breathing a little harder, hearts racing, and cheeks flushed.

“Um,” Alex said, every word in her vocabulary fleeing at that instant.

Tobin smiled and nodded.

“Yeah, me too.”


	4. Chapter 4

Kelley was unaware that Alex and Tobin were dating. She had absolutely no clue. Which wasn’t entirely her fault because they hadn’t told her but, Becky, the Ravenclaw captain that neither girl had ever interacted with off of the field, had mentioned it to Alex as they had lined up before their last game. But Kelley, Alex’s best friend didn’t know.

“If it bothers you that much, let’s just tell her,” Tobin said, only somewhat listening to Alex’s tirade as curled up on her bed, trying read her Charms textbook.

“No, you don’t get it. It doesn’t bother me that she doesn’t know. It bothers me that she hasn’t noticed. Last year I hooked up with some guy at a party and Kelley took one look at me the next day and knew. You and I have been together for a month and, nothing.”

Tobin sighed, placing her book the side and pulling Alex into her arms in hopes of keeping her from getting too worked up. It was true. She missed Kelley as much as Alex did and it bothered her as well that she wasn’t around.

“She’s just been spending a lot of time with Ann.”

“For the last three months, yeah. We’re dating but we also hang out with our other friends. You and Lindsey see each other at least once a day and, I think you’ve spent more time with Ash this week than you have with me.” Tobin opened her mouth to apologize but Alex beat her to it. “No, sorry, I didn’t mean for that to come out like that. I don’t mind you spending time with Ash. I know you’re trying to get your shots cleaner. Though, I might mind when we play each other this weekend.”

Tobin chuckled.

“What I’m trying to say is that just because you’re dating someone, doesn’t mean that you should spend every waking hour with them and completely ignore all of your friends.”

“Yeah,” Tobin said softly. “I know. But there’s really nothing we can do about it. Kelley’s her own person.”

“I just miss her,” Alex said. “A few months ago, I would have talked to her about this. I would have stayed in her room for the night and we would have eaten popcorn and she would have grilled me about every little detail of our relationship.”

“And what, pray tell, would you have said about me?” Tobin asked, cheekily.

“Oh, well, just that you’re alright I guess. A good way to pass the time,” Alex replied, going along with the game.

“Oh, is that so? Just alright? That’s not what you were saying last night.”

“Last night?” Alex tilted her head, pretending to think about it. “I don’t remember anything about last night.”

Tobin hummed and rolled over so that she could hover over Alex.

“Maybe I should remind you then.”

Alex smiled and didn’t wait for Tobin to lower herself down, deciding instead to grab her tie, which was, as always, hanging loose around her neck and pull her down. Tobin complied smiling as she went. And Alex loved when Tobin smiled when she kissed her. She also loved when Tobin slipped her hands just under the bottom of her shirt and traced circles into her hips with her thumbs and she loved when Tobin moved her mouth from her lips to her neck, nipping at her jawline on the way. She did not love when Tobin pulled away suddenly, hovering over her with a smirk.

“So, how was that?” she asked. “Just alright?”

“Hmmm… that was more than alright,” Alex said breathlessly.

“So, if Kelley asked now what would you say?”

“That I have the best girlfriend in the world and that she’s a damn good kisser.”

Tobin’s smile broke across her face like a ray of sunshine filling a dark room and Alex was thrown aback at how just her smile could make her heart flutter.

“Well, don’t just sit there,” Alex said. “You know I have a shitty memory. If you don’t kiss me soon, I might forget again.”

Tobin rolled her eyes.

“So bossy.”

“You love it,” Alex said.

“Yeah, I do,” Tobin replied and leaned down again, resuming what she had started. Suddenly, the door to Tobin’s room swung open, snapping the two girls harshly back to reality. Tobin fell back so that she was sitting as far away from Alex as she could on the bed and Alex scrambled back so that she was sitting against the headboard. Standing in the doorway to the room was Kelley who had one hand in Ann’s hand, the other still on the doorknob and her mouth wide open. If Alex hadn’t been so mortified, she would have found it hilarious.

“You…” Kelley started and then drifted off. Neither Tobin nor Alex said anything.

“We were just going to grab my books,” Ann said, slipping into the room past a still frozen Kelley. Once she gathered her books and started to leave, she looked at Kelley and realizing that she wasn’t going to move any time soon said, “Babe? I have to go to class. I’ll leave you to… whatever this is.” She gave Kelley a quick kiss on her cheek and then scurried out of the room.

Kelley swallowed and then seemed to snap into herself again. Moving slowly, she shut the door and gently placed her bag down onto Ann’s bed, her back turned to the two girls who didn’t dare look at each other or away from Kelley.

“How long?” Kelley asked, still not turning towards them.

Alex cleared her throat. She felt like there was something large blocking it and it was a little hard to breathe.

“About a month.”

“So, you’ve been what? Hooking up? For a month? And I didn’t know.”

“We’re not just hooking up,” Alex said defensively. “We’re dating.”

Kelley scoffed angrily, turning to face the two girls sitting on the bed.

“That’s worse! Two of my best friends are dating and they didn’t tell me? What the fuck guys!”

“You weren’t around,” Alex said, her voice far too measured and far too steady as she seethed. “You’re never around.”

“That’s… that’s not fair. I’ve been with Ann.”

“I get that and I get that you love her or whatever but that doesn’t change the fact that I wanted to tell you. I wanted to talk to you. Since Tobin and I started dating, I’ve seen you only handful of times and each time has been so brief and you kept talking about Ann and things you did with Ann and I never found a good time.”

“Do you have a problem with Ann?” Kelley asked.

“No!” Alex said, standing suddenly. Kelley took a step back instinctively. “I have a problem with you never being around. Ann could be by sister. Hell, she could be my favorite person in the world and I’d still be pissed because I miss you,” Alex shouted.

Kelley’s mouth shut with a snap and her entire expression hardened.

“I’m not the one that kept her relationship a secret from her best friend,” Kelley replied and then grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

Alex sunk back down onto the bed and buried her face in her hands. Tobin moved so that Alex was in her arms and held her close until her sobs subsided.

“I miss her,” Alex said.

“Me too.”

“Please tell me I didn’t fuck things up with her forever,” Alex said, looking pleadingly into Tobin’s eyes.

“I don’t think that’s possible. She loves you and you love her and no matter what else happens, that’s always going to be true, okay? She’s angry right now and you’re hurt because she hasn’t been around, but the two of you will be fine.”

Alex sighed and buried her face into Tobin’s neck.

“Can I stay here tonight?”

“Of course,” Tobin replied. “What if Ann comes back?”

“She probably won’t. Kelley won’t want to be here and she won’t want to be without Kelley. If that bothers you, you can come to Slytherin with me.”

“Hmmm no. That’s too much moving for me.”

Alex laughed lightly, cuddling closer into Tobin’s safe embrace.

“I very much agree.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slight time jump.

The owl came about halfway through summer, a day later than it was supposed to because Alex was at Tobin’s house instead of her own. The two had been playing a game of keep-away with Tobin’s siblings and, while Jeff and Perry were good fliers in their own right, they had nothing on Alex and Tobin. Alex was about to snipe the ball from Jeffery’s arms when an owl flew in front of her and then around her head, then dropped the letter it was carrying right in front of her. Alex thanked god for her reflexes as she caught the letter, saving it from a muddy death on the ground below.

“What is it?” Tobin asked.

Alex lowered herself to the ground and then dismounted from her broomstick. She turned the envelope over to see who it was from and felt her heart drop into her stomach.

“Alex? What is it?” Tobin asked, at her side in a second, clearly having read her facial expression.

“It’s from Kelley,” Alex breathed out. Since their spat a couple of months before, Alex and Tobin had not spoken to Kelley at all. When they passed each other in the halls or on the way to the Quidditch pitch they’d lower their heads and continue on unsure of what to say or how to apologize. Alex missed her miserably but she hadn’t known what to do with Kelley missing all the time and Tobin had urged her not to confront Kelley because she knew that Alex would not be able to help placing blame it would only make matters worse.

“Open it,” Tobin said and she stood just behind her so that she could read over her shoulder.

 

_Hey Alex,_

_It’s been a really long time since we talked and I’m sorry because that was my fault and I should have been around more and I shouldn’t have been mad when I found out about you and Tobin. I don’t really deserve to be forgiven but I really need someone right now. Ann cheated on me and it would be really nice if I knew that I didn’t ruin some of my best friendships for her. I miss you._

_Love you both so much,_

_Kelley._

 

Alex swallowed. The writing was blurred and smudged in many places with tears and Alex felt her own eyes threatening to burst.

“That bitch,” Tobin whispered under her breath, the word coming out like a slap since Tobin never swore. Alex could not have agreed more.

“We need to go to her,” Alex said and Tobin was nodding before she even finished the sentence.

“I’ll talk to my parents.”

 

* * *

 

By that evening, Tobin’s parents had arranged a portkey to Kelley’s house and had dropped them off, reminding them that they could come home whenever they wanted and to be respectful to their hosts. Kelley’s parents met them out front with somber expressions and lead the two girls up to Kelley’s room.

“She’s not doing so great,” Kelley’s mom said. “Oh, if I had known what that Ann girl was going to do, I would have kicked her out of the house when she was last here, but I guess no one knew. She seemed so nice. You two take care of my girl okay? I’ve done all I can.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tobin said quietly. Kelley’s mom nodded sadly and then after gently patting Alex’s arm, turned and went back downstairs. Alex took a deep breath and pushed open the door to Kelley’s room.

Every light was off and every curtain was drawn and all Alex could make out was a lump on Kelley’s bed that must have been her. She crept inside the room and waiting for Tobin to follow and close the door behind her. They made eye contact, unsure of how to proceed and Tobin reach out to give Alex’s hand a squeeze before pushing her lightly towards the bed. Alex looked at Kelley’s sleeping form and, unsure of what else to do walked up behind her, and shook her shoulder gently.

“Kel? Kelley?” she whispered.

Kelley stirred and then with a voice laced with sleep said, “Yeah, babe?”

“Hey, Kel, it’s me. Alex.”

Even in the darkness, Alex could pinpoint the moment Kelley woke up enough to remember Ann because her entire body seem to collapse in on itself and she let out a single moan before bursting into tears.

“Oh, baby,” Alex said and she pulled Kelley into her lap. “Tobin’s here as well. Okay? And we’ll take care of you. You’ll be okay.”

Kelley just sobbed and let Alex hold her.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few days were some of the hardest of Alex’s life. Watching Kelley, who normally personified happiness and sunshine, so broken made a permanent weight settle into Alex’s chest.

“What if she never gets better?” Alex asked Tobin on the fifth day as they waited for Kelley to finish her shower. It was the first time since the two girls had arrived that she’d taken one and, honestly, they were both relieved.

“You can’t think like that,” Tobin said, as she threw a new pair of sheets on the bed. “Kelley is Kelley. You know her. She feels too much all the time and sometimes it’s great because she’s feeling good. But sometimes, like now, it’s bad. The great thing about Kelley is that she always bounces back. She’s never stayed sad for long. And I know that this is the worst she’s probably ever felt but she’ll come back from this too.”

Alex nodded but she was still unconvinced. She couldn’t imagine Kelley getting better at that point. For the last few days, the other girl had spent most of her time asleep, getting up very intermittently to pee and to reluctantly eat whatever Alex and Tobin brought her. She’d said only a handful of words and most of them had been when she was crying.

But then, the bathroom door cracked open and Alex and Tobin looked up.

“Hey guys,” Kelley said, walking out of the bathroom in her towel. Her voice was dull but that simple greeting was more than the two girls had received in the five days they’d been there and it gave Alex the tiniest bit of hope.

 

* * *

 

“Was I not good enough?” Kelley asked. “I tried to be there for her all the time. I knew her favorite color, her favorite food. I was there for her when her dog died and when she failed that transfiguration test. Oh no. Maybe the sex was bad. Maybe I’m just really bad in bed.”

Alex shook her head, trying to get Kelley out of her own head enough that she could talk to her. It had been three days since Kelley had last had a break down like this and Alex had hoped that they were over. Clearly, she’d been wrong.

“No, Kelley. You are beautiful and you are amazing and I am sure you are wonderful in bed. You did nothing wrong. She just wanted more of you than you could give and that’s not your fault.”

“Maybe I could have given more,” Kelley said. “I mean, maybe I could have spent more time with her. I could have quit Quidditch and-”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” Alex said. “Look, you shouldn’t have to give up everything you care about to be with someone. Look at Heather and Dave. They’ve been dating since their third year and Heather has always played Quidditch and they’re doing fine. Same with Carli and Brian. And me and Tobin. None of us had to give up Quidditch or really anything else and you shouldn’t have to either. Okay? If she asked you to do that, she was wrong and if your relationship needed that, then maybe that wasn’t quite right either.”

Kelley sighed. Her tears had dried and Alex knew that the worst was out of the way, but she was beginning to understand that it would be a while before they were really in the clear.

“Yo! Kelley!!” Tobin shouted, as she entered the room. She’d gone out to get them ice cream but had for some inexplicable reason come back with a Quaffle and three broomsticks. “Let’s play some.”

Kelley sniffed and then smiled. “Yeah, okay.”

 

* * *

 

It turned out Quidditch was the only thing Kelley needed. She sometimes still cried herself to sleep, curled up in either Alex or Tobin’s arms, and sometimes her mind would drift far away, but Quidditch kept her on track. She and Tobin worked hard on all sorts of shots and poor Alex was stuck as the Keeper a lot of the time. Every so often she would beg Jerry to come out with them so he could take her place, but most of the time, she was the one who finished frustrated and bruised. She moaned and groaned about it, but at the end of the day, she was just happy that Kelley was up and smiling.

After a few weeks at Kelley's house, Tobin’s parents asked her to come home. There was only a month left till classes were going to start and they missed their daughter. Alex’s parents must have missed her too, but they never made the same request. So, Tobin went home and Alex stayed.

That night, Kelley dragged Alex up to her room with a bowl of popcorn and she sat her down on the bed.

“Okay, okay. Now that Tobin’s gone, tell me everything.”

 

* * *

  
Alex and Tobin didn't see each other again until they met at King’s Cross to get on the Hogwarts Express. When Alex spotted Tobin everything else around her faded for a second. She didn't even notice as Kelley snuck away to give her some space. All she noticed was how when Tobin saw her, her face split into a wide grin. The two girls weaved their way through the crowded train station until they were face to face. They paused, just looking at each other for a second and then Tobin flung her arms around Alex’s shoulders pulling her tightly into a hug.

“I missed you so much,” Tobin whispered.

“Me too.”

Tobin pulled away slightly to place a quick kiss on Alex’s cheek, neither of them comfortable with more in the crowded train station.

“We should get a seat on the train before it fills up,” Tobin said.

“Kelley already went ahead. She said she’d save us a spot.”

“How is Kelley?” Tobin asked as they made their way to the train, struggling with their luggage.

“Better. Much better,” Alex replied. “I don’t think she’ll ever heal completely. She seems a little less trusting.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Tobin said. “Kelley’s too good at giving herself to other people. It would do her some good to keep some of herself to herself, you know?”

Alex nodded.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.”

As Tobin helped Alex lift her bag into the train, she was about to ask another question but was cut of by a loud scream of “TOBEY!!!”

Tobin was lucky she had already put down Alex’s suitcase otherwise she would have dropped it when a 130 pound freckled Irish girl jumped into her arms. Tobin laughed as she hugged Kelley tightly.

“Hey Kells,” she said.

“Are you ready to be fifth years? Cause I know I am!”

“Yeah, I am.”

Kelley pouted and let Tobin put her back down.

“You’re not fun Tobey. Get excited!”

“You live at a level of excitement I cannot reach,” Tobin said. “But believe me, I am pumped for this next year.”

“It’s gonna be the best,” Kelley said, throwing an arm around Tobin and Alex’s shoulders. “And now with my two besties by my side, nothing can stop us.”

Tobin and Alex shared a look over Kelley’s shoulder and smiled softly at each other.

“Yeah,” Alex said. “Nothing can stop us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading everyone. I know I got a little sidetracked with the Kelley storyline and I'm sorry. I hope you still liked it. If you care about Kelley, and you haven't already read it, you should read the previous fic in the series which kind of tells the next part of her story. Once again, thank you for reading. You are the best.


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